System and method for processing package delivery

ABSTRACT

A method for processing packages is provided. A package is received at an intermediate shipping site and a delivery authorization status corresponding to the package is determined. The package is delivered if the authorization status is that delivery is acceptable and the package is not delivered if the authorization status is that delivery is not acceptable.

This application is a divisional of Ser. No. 10/052,110, filed Jan. 17,2002, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to the field of package delivery. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to systems and methods forprocessing package delivery and includes computer implemented systemsand methods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recent events, such as the mailing of anthrax to government officialsand news agencies, have heightened many people's concerns about thesafety of package delivery. Nevertheless, people often depend on packagedelivery to receive purchases, correspondence, and the like. Further,package delivery has increased over time and may continue to increasewith increasing on-line shopping via the Internet. As such, it appearsthat package delivery will continue to be an important way for people toreceive purchases, correspondence, and the like. There is not presentlyavailable a system for determining whether a package is expected andtherefore legitimate, or whether a package has arrived unexpectedly froman unrecognized source and therefore may be for illegitimate purposes.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a system and method forauthorizing package delivery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to determining a package deliveryauthorization status and conditioning package delivery on the state ofthe delivery authorization status.

A method for processing packages is provided. A package is received atan intermediate shipping site and a delivery authorization statuscorresponding to the package is determined. The package is delivered ifthe authorization status is that delivery is acceptable and the packageis not delivered if the authorization status is that delivery is notacceptable.

Delivery authorization is determined by receiving informationidentifying the received package and receiving information identifyingan expected package. The information identifying the expected package iscompared to the information identifying the received package. Thepackage is designated for delivery if the information identifying theexpected package matches the information identifying the receivedpackage. The package may be designating for non-delivery if theinformation identifying the expected package does not match theinformation identifying the received package.

The information may comprise at least one of the following: anidentification of the sender of the package, the addressee of thepackage, an identification of the, package, and a projected date ofdelivery. The information may be received via an e-mail message, a barcode scanner, and the like. An e-mail message may be received from asender of the package or an addressee of the package.

Delivery authorization may also be determined based on a list ofpredefined sellers. The package sender is determined and compared to aplurality of predefined pre-approved senders. The delivery authorizationstatus is designated as delivery is acceptable if the determined packagesender matches one of the plurality of predefined senders and designatedas delivery is not acceptable if the determined package sender does notmatch any of the plurality of predefined pre-approved senders.

Delivery authorization may also be determined based on two e-mailmessages, one from the package sender and one from the packageaddressee. A first e-mail message is received from a sender of thepackage and a second e-mail message is received from an addressee of thepackage. From the first e-mail message, at least one of the following isdetermined: an identification of the sender of the package, anidentification of the addressee of the package, an identification of thepackage, and a projected delivery date of the package. From the seconde-mail message, at least one of the following is determined: anidentification of the sender of the package, an identification of theaddressee of the package, and an identification of the package. Adelivery authorization status is also determined from the second e-mailmessage. The package is designated for delivery if the informationdetermined from the first e-mail message matches the informationdetermined from the second e-mail message and if the deliveryauthorization status determined from the second e-mail message isdelivery is acceptable.

The above-listed features, as well as other features, of the inventionwill be more fully set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is further described in the detailed description thatfollows, by reference to the noted drawings by way of non-limitingillustrative embodiments of the invention, in which like referencenumerals represent similar parts throughout the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary computing device and communicationsnetwork with which the invention may be employed;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an illustrative method for processingpackages, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an illustrative method for determiningwhether package delivery is authorized, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an illustrative data table for storing anauthorization status as determined in the method of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of another method for determining whetherpackage delivery is authorized, in accordance with another embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an illustrative data table for storing aplurality of predefined sender identifications to determine whetherpackage delivery is authorized in accordance with the method of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of another illustrative method for determiningwhether package delivery is authorized, in accordance with anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of yet another illustrative method fordetermining whether package delivery is authorized, in accordance withanother embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an illustrative data table for storing anauthorization status as determined in accordance with the method of FIG.7 or FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a generic computing system with which theinvention may be employed. As shown in FIG. 1, computing device 120includes processor 122, system memory 124, and system bus 126 thatcouples various system components including system memory 124 toprocessor 122. System memory 124 may include read-only memory (ROM)and/or random access memory (RAM). Computing device 120 may furtherinclude hard-drive 128, which provides storage for computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, data, and the like. Auser (not shown) may enter commands and information into the computingdevice 120 through input devices such as a keyboard 140, a mouse 142,and a bar code scanner 146. Display device 144 may also include otherdevices such as a touch screen, a light pen, a grid of light beams, orthe like for inputting information into processor 122. A display device144, such as a monitor, a flat panel display, or the like is alsoconnected to the computing device 120 for output. Communications device143, which in one embodiment is a modem, provides for communicationsover network 150. Processor 122 can be programmed with instructions tointeract with other computing systems so as to perform the methodsdescribed below. The instructions may be received from network 150 orstored in memory 124 and/or hard drive 128. Processor 122 may be loadedwith any one of several computer operating systems such as WINDOWS NToperating system, WINDOWS 2000 operating system, LINUX operating system,and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, computing device 120 may be connected to computernetwork 150. Server 164 is operable to communicate with other computingdevices over network 150. Network 150 may be the Internet, a local areanetwork, a wide area network, or the like. Server 164 may communicatee-mails, web pages, and other data. Server 164 may be operated by anISP, a corporate computer department, or any other organization orperson with a server connected to network 150. Server 164 is accessibleby client stations 168 from which users may send and receive data andbrowse web pages. Client stations 168 may connect to servers via a localarea network (not shown) or using a remote connection device 172 suchas, for example, a modem, as is shown in connection with server 164.

The computing system described above may be used to implement anillustrative method for authorizing package delivery, such as theillustrative method of FIG. 2. The method may be implemented for anytype of package delivery, such as, for example, a book, a computer, aletter, or the like. The delivery may be made by any carrier, such asfor example, the United States Post Office, Federal Express, UnitedParcel Service, a trucking company, and the like.

At step 200, a package, which may be for example, a package containing abook that was requested to be delivered to a business address, isreceived at an intermediate site or a clearinghouse. In thisillustrative example, the package is received at a mail room at theemployee's business address. The package, however, may be received atany intermediate site, such as for example, a local post office, a localdistribution site, a quarantined site, or the like. The intermediatesite may be a secure site at a remote location. Typically, theintermediate site includes a computing device to maintain packageauthorization statuses.

At step 210, a delivery authorization status corresponding to thereceived package is determined. The delivery authorization statusidentifies whether or not the package is to be delivered to theaddressee. The delivery authorization status may indicate that thepackage is an expected package or that the package comes from a trustedsource. The delivery authorization status may be determined, forexample, using methods such as those described below in connection withFIGS. 3, 5, 7, and 8.

At step 220, it is determined whether or not the delivery authorizationstatus indicates that package delivery is acceptable. If the deliveryauthorization status indicates that delivery is acceptable, then themethod proceeds to step 230, wherein the package is delivered from theintermediate location, such as the mail room, to the employee thatpurchased the book. If the delivery authorization status indicates thatdelivery is not acceptable, then the method proceeds to step 240. Atstep 240, the package is not delivered from the mail room to theemployee; rather, the package may be returned to the sender, held untilreceiving an authorization status that delivery is acceptable,quarantined, receive further security checks, be discarded, or the like.In this manner, an addressee does not receive a package unless there issome authorization of package delivery, thereby increasing the securityof package delivery. Instead, the package is held at an intermediatesite (which may be a secure location, for example) where the package maybe appropriately handled.

Determining delivery authorization status, as shown in step 210, may beimplemented in a variety of ways. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment ofthe invention, in which package delivery authorization status isdetermined from an e-mail message. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3may be implemented on computing device 120 of FIG. 1 and will bedescribed as such, however, the invention may be implemented on anycomputing system. The following illustration contemplates Benjamin Scottordering a book entitled “American History Textbook” from Barnes andNoble wherein the book is projected to be delivered on Aug. 15, 2001.

As shown in FIG. 3, at step 300, computing device 120 receives an e-mailmessage from network 150. The e-mail message may be received from thepackage sender, which for purposes of illustration is Barnes and Noble.Alternatively, the e-mail message may be received from the packageaddressee, which for the purposes of illustration is Benjamin Scott. Inthis embodiment, the e-mail message itself serves as an authorizationfor package delivery. To determine which package has been authorized fordelivery, the contents of the e-mail message are used, as described inmore detail below.

At step 310, processor 122 parses the e-mail message into segments. Theemail message may be formatted into segments by the e-mail sender (i.e.,the package sender or the package addressee). For example, the e-mailmessage may be formatted into a first segment storing an identificationof the sender of the package, a second segment storing an identificationof the addressee of the package, a third segment storing anidentification of the package, and a fourth segment storing a projecteddelivery date of the package. The identification of the package may be adescription of the contents of the package, an identification number, orthe like. The projected delivery date may also be a range of dates. Thesegments may be separated with commas, line returns, or the like tofacilitate parsing.

Further, an application may be implemented on client 168 to create theproper e-mail format. For example, the application may display a pop-upwindow storing fields for an identification of the sender of thepackage, an identification of the addressee of the package, anidentification of the package, and a projected delivery date of thepackage. Upon receiving information in each of the fields, theapplication may format the information as an e-mail message having theinformation in proper segments and with proper separation betweensegments.

At step 320, processor 122 determines package identification informationfrom one of the parsed segments. In this illustrative example, theparsed segment corresponding to package identification contains“American History Textbook” and therefore, processor 122 determines thepackage identification to be “American History Textbook.”

At step 330, processor 122 determines sender identification informationfrom one of the parsed segments. In this illustrative example, theparsed segment corresponding to sender identification contains “Barnesand Noble” and therefore, processor 122 determines the senderidentification to be “Barnes and Noble.”

At step 340, processor 122 determines a projected delivery date from oneof the parsed segments. In this illustrative example, the parsed segmentcorresponding to the a projected delivery date contains “Aug. 15, 2001”and therefore, processor 122 determines the projected delivery date tobe “Aug. 15, 2001.”

At step 350, the delivery authorization status of the received packageis determined by comparing information from the received package (i.e.,package information) to information parsed from the e-mail message.Package information comprises information contained on the receivedpackage, such as for example, information on the shipping label, thepacking list, and the like. Package information also comprises theactual delivery date of the package. Package information may be receivedby computing system 120 via bar code scanner 146, keyboard 140, mouse142, or the like.

If the package information matches the parsed information, then thedelivery authorization status of the received package is determined tobe that delivery is acceptable, as shown in steps 360 and 366. If thepackage information does not match the parsed information from anye-mail message, then the delivery authorization status of the receivedpackage is determined to be that delivery is not acceptable, as shown insteps 360 and 364. While the illustrative example of FIG. 3 showsinformation parsed from a single e-mail, it is contemplated that atypical implementation of the invention involves multiple e-mails andcomparing of package information to information parsed from each of themultiple e-mails, or until a match is determined.

To facilitate determining delivery authorization status, the parsedinformation may be stored in a data table for comparison against packageinformation. FIG. 4 is a diagram of an illustrative data table 40 forstoring parsed information. While a data table is illustrated, suchinformation may be stored in a spreadsheet, a database, or the like. Thedata table may reside in memory 124, hard-drive 128, across network 150,or the like.

Data table 400 comprises a record for each e-mail message. Each recordcomprises a plurality of fields for storing information parsed from thee-mail message. As shown in FIG. 4, record 410 comprises a first field420 for storing a sender identification, a second field 422 for storinga package identification, a third field 424 for storing a projecteddelivery date, and a fourth field 426 for storing an addresseeidentification. As shown, first field 420 contains a senderidentification of “Barnes and Noble,” second field 422 contains apackage identification of “American History Textbook,” third field 424contains a projected delivery date of “Aug. 15, 2001,” and fourth field426 contains an addressee identification of “Benjamin Scott.” With sucha data table, package information can be compared against multiplerecords of parsed information to determine a delivery authorizationstatus.

While the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 can use a singlee-mail message to determine a delivery authorization status, othertechniques can be used to determine a delivery authorization status. Forexample, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 uses an e-mail message anda list of pre-approved senders to determine a delivery authorizationstatus.

As shown in FIG. 5, at step 500, computing device 120 receives an e-mailmessage from network 150. The e-mail message may be received from thepackage sender or the package addressee.

At step 510, processor 122 parses the e-mail message into segments. Atstep 520, processor 122 determines a package identification from one ofthe parsed segments. At step 530, processor 122 determines a senderidentification from one of the parsed segments. At step 540, processor122 determines a projected delivery date from one of the parsedsegments.

At step 550, processor 122 compares parsed information to packageinformation to determine a matching record, similar to that discussedabove in connection with step 350. If the received package informationdoes not match the parsed information from any record, then the deliveryauthorization status is determined as delivery is not acceptable, asshown in steps 552 and 554.

At step 560, processor 122 compares the sender identification of thematching record to a list of pre-approved senders to determine adelivery authorization status of the received package. If the senderidentification matches one of the pre-approved senders, then thedelivery authorization status of the received package is determined tobe that delivery is acceptable, as shown in steps 562 and 566. If thesender identification does not match any of the pre-approved senders,then the delivery authorization status is determined to be that deliveryis not acceptable, as shown in steps 562 and 564.

Pre-approved sender information may be predefined and stored in a datatable for comparison against package information and/or informationparsed from an e-mail message. FIG. 6 is a diagram of an illustrativedata table 600 for storing pre-approved senders. While a data table isillustrated, such pre-approved sender information may be stored in aspreadsheet, a database, or the like. The data table may reside inmemory 124, hard-drive 128, across network 150, or the like.

Data table 600 comprises a field for storing an indication of eachpre-approved sender. As shown in FIG. 6, first field 620 contains“Barnes and Noble”, second field 622 contains “Sears”, and third field624 contains “J.C. Penney's.” With such a data table, packageinformation and/or parsed information can be compared against a list ofpre-approved senders to determine a delivery authorization status.

Other methods can be used to facilitate package delivery bynon-pre-approved senders such as the illustrative method of FIG. 7 thatdetermines package delivery authorization status using messages fromboth a package sender and a package addressee. This method can beimplemented in addition to or in place of the method described inconnection with FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 7, at step 700, computing device 120 receives an e-mailmessage from the package sender via network 150. At step 710, processor122 parses the e-mail message into segments. At step 720, processor 122determines a package identification from one of the parsed segments. Atstep 730, processor 122 determines a sender identification from one ofthe parsed segments. At step 740, processor 122 determines a projecteddelivery date from one of the parsed segments.

At step 750, processor 122 displays information from the parsed messagesegments to the addressee. For example, processor 122 may read parsedinformation from the records of data table 400 and display theinformation on display device 144 or on client 168 over network 150 suchthat the package addressee can select one of the records forauthorization of package delivery. The displayed records may be limitedto those records that are still pending a delivery. A package addresseemay select a record via mouse 142, keyboard 140, or the like.

At step 760, processor 122 receives a selection of one of the recordsfrom the package addressee, which is interpreted by processor 122 as anauthorization for package delivery.

At step 770, processor 122 designates the delivery authorization statuscorresponding to the received selected record as delivery is acceptable.In this manner, a package addressee may authorize package delivery usinga local area network rather than e-mail. Such an interface may besimpler to use than an e-mail interface and may provide increasedsecurity. Further, the addressee selects the record corresponding to theauthorization, thereby relieving processor 122 from determining amatching record.

Alternatively, the authorization may be received from the addressee inthe form of an e-mail message. A method for such a receipt ofauthorization is shown in FIG. 8. At step 800, computing device 120receives an e-mail message from the package sender. At step 810,processor 122 parses the e-mail message into segments. At step 820,processor 122 determines a package identification from one of the parsedsegments. At step 830, processor 122 determines a sender identificationfrom one of the parsed segments. At step 840, processor 122 determines aprojected delivery date from one of the parsed segments.

At step 850, processor 122 receives a second e-mail message, the seconde-mail message originating from the package addressee. At step 860,processor 122 parses the second e-mail message into segments. At step870, processor 122 determines information from the parsed segmentssimilar to that described in steps 720, 730 and 740. This information isused to match the addressee e-mail message to a sender e-mail message.

At step 880, processor 122 compares the information determined in step870 from the second e-mail message to information determined in steps820, 830, and 840 from the first e-mail message. If the information fromthe first e-mail matches the information from the second e-mail, thenthe delivery authorization status of the record corresponding to thefirst e-mail is designated as delivery is acceptable, as shown in steps860 and 866. The delivery authorization status can be stored in a datatable, as described in more detail below. If the package informationdoes not match the parsed information from any e-mail message, then thedelivery authorization status of the record corresponding to the firste-mail package is designated as delivery is not acceptable, as shown insteps 860 and 864.

Delivery authorization statuses determined from e-mail messages and/orlocal area networks (such as described in FIGS. 7 and 8) may be storedin a data table for later comparison against package information. FIG. 9is a diagram of an illustrative data table 900 for storing such adelivery authorization status. Data table 900 comprises a record foreach e-mail message from a sender. Each record comprises a plurality offields for storing information parsed from the e-mail message. As shownin FIG. 9, record 910 comprises a first field 920 for storing a senderidentification, a second field 922 for storing a package identification,a third field 924 for storing a projected delivery date, an optionalfourth field 926 for storing an addressee identification, and a fifthfield 928 for storing a delivery authorization status. The deliveryauthorization status field stores an indication that delivery isacceptable or an indication that delivery is not acceptable. With such adata table, package information can be compared against records todetermine a delivery authorization status. Processor 122, afterdetermining a matching record, reads the authorization status field ofthe matching record. In this manner, both a sender and an addressee sendan e-mail that, in combination, create a delivery authorization statusthat delivery is acceptable.

Thus the invention provides a system and method for increasing thesecurity of package delivery by receiving and storing deliveryauthorization statuses and determining a delivery authorization statuscorresponding to a package before delivering the package to the packageaddressee.

Executable instructions for implementing aspects of the invention may beembodied in the form of program code (i.e., instructions) stored on acomputer-readable medium, such as a magnetic, electrical, or opticalstorage medium, including without limitation a floppy diskette, CD-ROM,CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, magnetic tape, flash memory, hard disk drive,or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the programcode is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, themachine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. The inventionmay also be embodied in the form of program code that is transmittedover some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring orcabling, through fiber optics, over a network, including the Internet oran intranet, or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when theprogram code is received and loaded into and executed by a machine, suchas a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing theinvention. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the programcode combines with the processor to provide a unique apparatus thatoperates analogously to specific logic circuits.

It is noted that the foregoing has been provided merely for the purposeof explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of theinvention. While the invention has been described with reference toillustrative embodiments, it is understood that the words which havebeen used herein are words of description and illustration, rather thanwords of limitation. Further, although the invention has been describedherein with reference to particular structure, methods, materials, andembodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to theparticulars disclosed herein; rather, the invention extends to allstructures, methods and uses that are within the scope of the appendedclaims. Those skilled in the art, having the benefit of the teachings ofthis specification, may effect numerous modifications thereto andchanges may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention, as defined by the appended claims.

1. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon fordetermining a delivery authorization status corresponding to a receivedpackage, the instructions, when executed by a processor, causing theprocessor to perform the following: receiving information identifyingthe received package; receiving information identifying an expectedpackage, wherein receiving information identifying an expected packagecomprises an e-mail message from one of a sender of the package and anaddressee of the package; comparing tie information identifying theexpected package to the information identifying the received package;and designating the package for delivery if the information identifyingthe expected package matches the information identifying the receivedpackage.
 2. A The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1,wherein the instructions further cause the processor to performdesignating the package for non-delivery if the information identifyingthe expected package does not match the information identifying thereceived package.
 3. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1,wherein receiving information identifying the received package comprisesreceiving information from one of a user interface and a bar codescanner.
 4. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, whereinreceiving information identifying the received package comprisesreceiving package information comprising at least one of the following:an identification of the sender of the package, the addressee or thepackage, and an identification of the package.
 5. The computer-readablemedium as recited in claim 1, wherein information identifying anexpected package further comprises determining, from the e-mail message,information comprising at least one of the following; an identificationof the sender of the package, an identification of the addressee of thepackage, an identification of the package, and a projected delivery dateof the package.
 6. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1,wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform:determining a sender of the package; comparing the sender of the packageto a plurality of predefined senders; and designating the deliveryauthorization status as delivery is acceptable if the determined packagesender matches one of the plurality of predefined senders anddesignating the delivery authorization status as delivery is notacceptable if the determined package sender does not match any of theplurality of predefined senders.
 7. The computer-readable medium asrecited in claim 1, wherein receiving information identifying anexpected package comprises: parsing the e-mail message into at least oneof the following: an identification of the sender of the package, anidentification of the addressee of the package, an identification of thepackage, and a projected delivery date of the package.
 8. Thecomputer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein receivinginformation identifying the received package and receiving informationidentifying an expected package comprises receiving a first e-mailmessage from a sender of the package and a second e-mail message from anaddressee of the package.
 9. The computer-readable medium as recited inclaim 8, receiving information identifying the received package andreceiving information identifying an expected package comprises:determining, from the first e-mail message, at least one of thefollowing: an identification of the sender of the package, anidentification of the addressee of the package, an identification of thepackage, and a projected delivery date of the package; determining, fromthe second e-mail message, at least one of the following: anidentification of the sender of the package, an identification of theaddressee of the package, and an identification of the package;determining, from the second e-mail message, a delivery authorizationstatus as either delivery is acceptable or delivery is not acceptable;and designating the package for delivery it the information determinedfrom the first e-mail message matches the information determined fromthe second e-mail message and if the delivery authorization statusdetermined from the second e-mail message is delivery is acceptable. 10.The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 5, wherein theinstructions further cause the processor to perform storing at least oneof following: the authorization status, the sender identification, theaddressee identification, the package identification, and the projecteddelivery date of the package.